Get scary at Halloween with this fabulously moist and succulent cake made with roast squash or pumpkin. Look for toy spiders in toy shops to decorate the cake and plate with. (Just remember to warn your guests they’re not edible – in case they get carried away)

Ingredients: (Serves 8)

For the cake:

• 350 g/12½ oz peeled, seeded butternut squash or pumpkin, cut into chunks
• ½ tablespoon vegetable oil
• 110 g/4 oz butter, at room temperature
• 150 g/5 oz light brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 150 g/5 oz self-raising flour

To decorate:

• 200 g/7 oz dark chocolate, chopped
• 180 ml/6 fl oz double cream
• 30 g/1 oz white chocolate

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/Gas mark 5. Put the squash in a baking dish, drizzle with the oil and toss to coat. Roast for about 35 minutes until tender. Remove and leave to cool, then mash to a coarse puree.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas mark 4. Grease a 20-cm/8-inch round cake tin and line the bottom with greaseproof paper. Beat the butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the ginger and cinnamon. Sift the flour over the bowl and fold in, then fold in the mashed squash.

Fill the cake tin and bake for about 50 minutes until risen and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To decorate, put the chopped dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until almost boiling, then pour over the chocolate. Leave to stand for 5 minutes, then stir until smooth. Leave to cool and thicken slightly.

Melt the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Pour the dark chocolate icing over the cake then spoon the melted white chocolate into a piping bag. Pipe concentric circles on the cake. Draw a skewer from the center to the outside to create  spiderweb effect.